Phils Lose Last Exhibition Game

The Phillies lost 9-7 to the Tampa Bay Rays in their final exhibition game of the season.

Pat Burrell homered off his former teammate, Cole Hamels, to lead off the game.

Hamels struggles didn’t stop there. He allowed a 3 run home run to Carlos Pena in the same inning. Hamels allowed six runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked one. J.C Romero struggled in his one inning of work allowing 2 earned runs.

The wind may have helped the Rays off Hamels, but it aslo helped the Phillies at the plate. Raul Ibanez, Greg Dobbs and Jason Donald each hit home runs.

0 Comments

dan

April 5, 2009 at 1:29 am

In Cole’s defense, his pitches looked great after the first inning. I was right behind the Rays dugout (some of those watching may have seen my “Heroes get remembered, but Pat will never die” sign) and his change looked so nasty. He made some mistakes, but I think he’s got the kinks worked out and will be ready to go.

I was at the game and have yet to hear any reactions on sports talk radio. My guess is they are freaking out about Hamels. In all seriousness, I thought he looked pretty good. The wind was blowing the ball all over the place. Just one of those games!

The whole out with the old, in with the new feel with Burrell (possibly his last home run at CBP) and Ibanez both going yard was really cool. I rarely cheer the oppositions home runs, but everyone was cheering this one. I was glad I got to see it.

just read espn’s expert predictions. Everybody has either the rays,mets,red sox or cubs to win it all. The usuals now including rays because of their great run. Two people have phils in ws but both times losing either to red sox or rays. Only 1 or 2 guys have phils winning nl east and other 1 or 2 have them winning the wild card. Not many on espn think that the phils will make it to the playoffs. One guy has ryan howard winning nl mvp, rest have basically david wright and almost everyone has santana winning cy young. Oh well underdogs. Were born this way and will live it this way. I’ll like it when we’re holding the ws again in november and everybody will be sayin they’ll finish last in 2010.

More info on the Adam Eaton watch! (This is funny as hell since he’s not on our roster anymore…classic Eaton comments!!!)

“PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Orioles manager Dave Trembley said Thursday’s game shouldn’t be considered a tryout for Adam Eaton. Had it been, Eaton probably didn’t help his chances of making the rotation.

Facing essentially the New York Mets’ Opening Day lineup, Eaton allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings, raising his spring ERA to 7.29. He needed 94 pitches over that span and was spared further damage when right fielder Oscar Salazar leaped to deny Brian Schneider of a two-run home run in the Mets’ four-run fourth inning.

After the Orioles’ 9-8 loss that closed their Grapefruit League schedule, Trembley declined to fully endorse Eaton as one of his five starters as he did before the game with Mark Hendrickson, who will join Jeremy Guthrie, Koji Uehara and Alfredo Simon in the Opening Day rotation. Aside from appointing Guthrie and Uehara as his No. 1 and No. 2, Trembley hasn’t set the rest of his rotation, though he did say the club won’t use the No. 5 starter until April 12 because of Tuesday’s day off.

“Let me go in and get a diet soda and … think about it,” Trembley said when asked about whether Eaton definitely had a spot. “I’m not going to tell you that right now.”

Eaton, signed by the Orioles to a minorleague deal after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies, has allowed 17 earned runs, 33 hits and eight walks in 21 innings. However, he’s a favorite to be included in the rotation simply because there is nobody else still in major league camp who has been stretched out consistently.

“They haven’t told me for sure, but all signs obviously point for making the rotation,” Eaton said. “I wish I would have made the decision a little bit easier for them, but I know that if the decision is made that I’m on the staff, they’re going to be pleased with [it].”

Phinally, it’s opening day!! My laptop took a dump about a week ago, so I’ve been without PN since then, now using a “Jamie Moyer” laptop, which is old and slow and had been banished to the basement for a younger, quicker version. But lo and behold, the older one proved to be more durable and reliable, just like our Jamie! It’s taken me HOURS to catch up on comments, still not finished, but at least I’m here for the opener.

On JC Romero yesterday, if I didn’t know it was him on the mound I wouldn’t have recognized him, he looks like a different person both physically and the way he pitched, what’s up with that?

Exhibition isn’t about the stats. It’s about the rhthym and locating pitches which is fine. If Cole hit his spot and they hit it out then perfect. More times than not, Hamels was trying to just hit a spot that he’s been struggling to do. If he feels like he has his rhthym down and he can hit all of his spots then I would call this game a win.